Radiation detector having a fiber optic wedge with a plurality of parallel fibers

Abstract

A radiation detector having a fiber optic wedge with a plurality of parallel optical fibers is provided for yielding a more cost-effective radiation detector by reading out more scintillator elements or crystals per photodetector surface area. The fiber optic wedge provides a cost efficient method for increasing the number of scintillators that may be read out by a single position-sensitive photodetector of the radiation detector, such as a PET camera.

1 . A radiation detector comprising:
 a scintillator array having a plurality of scintillator elements;   a fiber optic wedge having a plurality of parallel fibers and defining a plurality of sides, a first side of said plurality of sides being positioned in proximity to the scintillator array; and   a photodetector assembly positioned in proximity to a second side of the plurality of sides of the fiber optic wedge, wherein the fiber optic wedge provides for detection of a surface area of the scintillator array that is larger than an area of the photodector assembly.   
   
   
       2 . The radiation detector according to  claim 1 , wherein the scintillator array is manufactured from materials selected from the group consisting of inorganic crystals, organic plastics, organic liquids and organic crystals. 
   
   
       3 . The radiation detector according to  claim 1 , wherein the geometric configuration of the fiber optic wedge is selected from the group consisting of pyramidal, trapezoidal and cylinder-based geometric configurations. 
   
   
       4 . The radiation detector according to  claim 1 , wherein the fiber optic wedge is manufactured from materials selected from the group consisting of plastic, glass and silica. 
   
   
       5 . The radiation detector according to  claim 1 , wherein the scintillation array is made from one of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) or lanthanum bromide (LaBr). 
   
   
       6 . The radiation detector according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of parallel fibers of the fiber optic wedge are configured for transferring photons from the first side to the second side. 
   
   
       7 . The radiation detector according to  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of parallel fibers of the fiber optic wedge are manufactured from materials selected from the group consisting of plastic, glass and silica. 
   
   
       8 . The radiation detector according to  claim 1 , wherein the second side of the plurality sides of the fiber optic wedge contacts a glass of the photodetector assembly. 
   
   
       9 . The radiation detector according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sides of the fiber optic wedge are rectangular. 
   
   
       10 . A fiber optic wedge for a radiation detector, said fiber optic wedge comprising:
 a plurality of sides; and   a plurality of parallel fibers optically communicating a first side of the plurality of sides with a second side of the plurality of sides, wherein the fiber optic wedge provides for detection of a surface area of a scintillator array that is larger than an area of a photodector assembly.   
   
   
       11 . The fiber optic wedge according to  claim 10 , wherein the first side of the fiber optic wedge is positioned in proximity to a scintillator array of the radiation detector. 
   
   
       12 . The fiber optic wedge according to  claim 11 , wherein the scintillator array is manufactured from materials selected from the group consisting of inorganic crystals, organic plastics, organic liquids and organic crystals. 
   
   
       13 . The fiber optic wedge according to  claim 10 , wherein the geometrical configuration of the fiber optic wedge is selected from the group consisting of pyramidal, trapezoidal and cylinder-based geometrical configurations. 
   
   
       14 . The fiber optic wedge according to  claim 10 , wherein the fiber optic wedge is manufactured from materials selected from the group consisting of plastic, glass and silica. 
   
   
       15 . The fiber optic wedge according to  claim 12 , wherein the scintillation array is made from one of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) or lanthanum bromide (LaBr). 
   
   
       16 . The fiber optic wedge according to  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of parallel fibers are manufactured from materials selected from the group consisting of plastic, glass and silica. 
   
   
       17 . The fiber optic wedge according to  claim 10 , wherein the second side is positioned in proximity to a glass of a photodetector assembly of the radiation detector. 
   
   
       18 . The fiber optic wedge according to  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of sides of the fiber optic wedge are rectangular. 
   
   
       19 . A radiation detector comprising:
 a scintillator array having a plurality of scintillator elements;   a fiber optic wedge having a plurality of sides and a plurality of parallel fibers optically communicating a first side of the plurality of sides with a second side of the plurality of sides, the first side of said plurality of sides being positioned in proximity to the scintillator array; and   a photodetector assembly positioned in proximity to the second side of the plurality of sides of the fiber optic wedge, wherein the fiber wedge provides for detection of a surface area of the scintillator array that is larger than an area of the photodector assembly.   
   
   
       20 . The radiation detector according to  claim 19 , wherein the geometrical configuration of the fiber optic wedge is selected from the group consisting of pyramidal, trapezoidal and cylinder-based geometrical configurations.